64 Progressive Agriculture 



A larger amount of available moisture and plant 

 food at time of planting, due to the longer prepar- 

 atory period in which the moisture is stored and 

 the plant food is made available. 



It must be remembered that the availability 

 of the elements in the soil for the use of the plants, 

 depends largely on the preparation of the soil and 

 the final physical condition obtained. Some plant 

 food, it is true, is available in practically all soils 

 nearly all the time; but for best results, especially 

 in semi-humid regions, the largest possible amount 

 of plant food must be made available to assure 

 greater returns. This happens when there has 

 been such treatment of the soil that the water and 

 air are mingled in right proportions so that under 

 influence of the sun's rays and the electrical 

 forces, there will be quick and radical but favor- 

 able changes in the soil itself. That is what 

 takes place naturally in the middle of the summer. 

 The farmer can help it along wonderfully. So if 

 he takes, say eight weeks in which to do his 

 preparatory work of getting the field ready and 

 coaching the elements, he can accomplish a great 

 deal more than he could do in three or four 

 weeks' time. Then, also, a week under weather 

 conditions that come in the later part of May and 

 early June, when the sun is reaching near its 

 highest point, and the days are longer, is worth 

 a great deal more in the development of plant 

 food and growth of the plants than two or three 

 weeks in March or early April, and yet the very 

 early tillage means very much in not only holding 

 the moisture that is in the soil, but in putting 



